The big transfers Chelsea have been linked with - and the chances they join in January

While the January transfer window is often a period in which Premier League clubs prefer to keep their belts tight, Chelsea are likely to be rather more active than many of their peers over the winter – not least because there’s at least one glaring issue which still needs to be addressed over the summer.

The last-minute collapse of a deal for Monaco’s Lamine Camara left Xabi Alonso without a replacement for departed midfielders Enzo Fernández and Andrey Santos, and it’s an issue which the Blues are almost certain to aggressively address when the market reopens.

Chelsea have been linked with a string of players already – and not just midfielders – so we’ve collected a list of some of the more plausible rumoured targets below, and rated the likelihood that a January deal happens out of 10.

Manu Koné

While Camara might have been Chelsea’s preferred option in midfielder, the collapse of negotiations with Monaco means that the deal is relatively unlikely to be revived – and as such, the Blues could turn to another player they were in discussions to sign, France international Koné.

Chelsea were close to a deal before the deadline but with Roma unable to secure a satisfactory replacement, they nixed the deal and the focus switched across to Camara instead. In January, however, it could be a different story.

One potential issue is a recent story which suggests that Roma have hiked the asking price from around €60m (£51m) to something closer to €100m (£85m) since the summer, as reported by the Manchester Evening News, covering Manchester United’s own alleged interest. That seems like a fanciful price, and if the story is accurate (and it may not be) then it implies that Roma don’t want to sell mid-season. We’re taking that part of the reporting with a pinch of salt for now. January transfer likelihood rating: 5/10

Alex Scott

Another player that Chelsea were keen on over the summer was Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. A bid of over £60m was rejected by the Cherries back in August, with the Dorset club refusing to budge on their valuation of £85m. The question now is whether the picture changes come January.

Scott has been in fine form since the start of the season, which may encourage Chelsea to up their own valuation should he keep it up. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have to make a determination on when to let go of a player who will be entering the final 18 months of his contract come the new year.

Scott has rejected the offer of a new deal as he pushes for a transfer, and events may be moving in a direction in which a deal becomes easier to get done. Chelsea are still going to have pay more than £60m, but he may be worth a major investment. Likelihood rating: 7/10

Lucas Da Cunha

The final midfielder we’ll cover today – albeit far from the last midfielder that Chelsea have been linked with – is Como captain and freshly-minted France international Da Cunha, another box-to-box midfielder with an all-round skillset and some very impressive recent performances under his belt.

Chelsea are reportedly among the most prominent members of a long list of potential suitors for the 25-year-old, but the fact that quite a few other sides are said to be scouting him isn’t the only reason that a January deal will be difficult to do.

Da Cunha signed a new contract with Como very recently and while that doesn’t mean that a deal can’t be done at some point, it suggests that a mid-season move is very unlikely, and the price to make it happen would probably be massive. One for next summer, perhaps, if the midfield remains a problem. Likelihood rating: 2/10

Jarell Quansah

While the midfield appears to be the focus for Chelsea’s January dealings, they’ve also been linked with quite a few defenders of late – and while quite a lot of those stories are rather implausible (we’re willing to bet quite heavily against Abdukodir Khusanov joining in the coming months, for instance), there does seem to be sincere interest in Quansah.

The former Liverpool defender, who has switched to right-back since moving to Bayer Leverkusen, has been excellent in the Bundesliga and there are mutterings that he would be keen to move back to the Premier League in the near future. Leverkusen are in no hurry to sell, however.

They turned down a £55m bid from Arsenal over the summer and seem determined to hold on to Quansah for at least another year. A January deal seems improbable as a result, and when the time comes Chelsea may face stiff competition from the Gunners, who seem to see the 23-year-old as a natural replacement for Ben White. Likelihood rating: 2/10